stern
adjective
firm, strict, or uncompromising.
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stern
1 American
[sturn]
/ stɜrn /
adjective
-
sterner,
comparative
-
sternest
superlative
-
firm, strict, or uncompromising.
stern discipline.
- Synonyms:
- unfeeling, cruel, unsympathetic, unrelenting, adamant
- Antonyms:
- lenient
-
hard, harsh, or severe.
a stern reprimand.
- Synonyms:
- unfeeling, cruel, unsympathetic, unrelenting, adamant
-
rigorous or austere; of an unpleasantly serious character.
stern times.
-
grim or forbidding in aspect.
a stern face.
stern
2
American
[sturn]
/ stɜrn /
noun
-
sterns
plural
-
the after or rear part of a vessel (often opposed to bow orstem ).
The ship's stern was a glory of brightly painted carved figures of knights and mythical beasts.
-
the back or rear of anything.
-
Astronomy. Stern, the constellation Puppis.
-
Fox Hunting. the tail of a hound.
verb (used with or without object)
-
to be the person paddling, steering, working, etc., at the rear of (a vessel).
When you're bird-watching, it's much better to be paddling up front than sterning the canoe.
-
to propel or steer (a vessel) with the after or rear part leading.
We pulled up to the dock 15 minutes later and managed to stern in before dark.
Stern
3
American
[sturn]
/ stɜrn /
noun
-
Isaac, 1920–2001, U.S. violinist, born in Russia.
-
Otto, 1888–1969, U.S. physicist, born in Germany: Nobel Prize 1943.
stern-
4
American
stern
1
British
/ stɜːn /
adjective
-
showing uncompromising or inflexible resolve; firm, strict, or authoritarian
-
lacking leniency or clemency; harsh or severe
-
relentless; unyielding
the stern demands of parenthood
-
having an austere or forbidding appearance or nature
stern
2
British
/ stɜːn /
noun
-
the rear or after part of a vessel, opposite the bow or stem
-
the rear part of any object
-
the tail of certain breeds of dog, such as the foxhound or beagle
adjective
Stern
3
British
/ stɜːn /
noun
stern
Idioms
Synonym Usage
Stern, severe, harsh agree in referring to methods, aspects, manners, or facial expressions. Stern implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: a stern parent. Severe implies strictness, lack of sympathy, and a tendency to impose a hard discipline on others: a severe judge. Harsh suggests a great severity and roughness, and cruel, unfeeling treatment of others: a harsh critic.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of stern1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English styrne
Origin of stern2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sterne, probably from Old Norse stjōrn “steering” ( see sternpost)
Explanation
You know when you've done something really wrong, and the person who gets you in trouble has that unforgiving look on his face? The best word for that look is stern, meaning "strict" or "severe." Stern, strict, severe, harsh, unforgiving — they all more or less mean the same thing, which is very tough and exacting, with a little helping of seriousness thrown in for good measure. What does this have to do with the stern of a boat, also known as the rear area? Um, nothing? But it's good to know about that meaning too, since it could come in handy some day when you're giving directions on a ship.
Vocabulary lists containing stern
Words Every Pirate Should Know
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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Russian ambassadors in Berlin, London, Paris, Brussels and other capitals have been summoned by their hosts for stern lectures.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
The stern and central section appear to have been covered with the same material, while researchers identified three distinct coating batches at the bow.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
She’s stern, unsmiling and outspoken, although there is, of course, a soft center under that hard exterior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Following the Banyuetan report, other state media rushed to denounce insider leaks and demand a crackdown—such as by strengthening censorship algorithms and issuing stern punishments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“We got your back, kid,” others say with stern nods.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, Stern wasn’t as religious as he is now, but he was still singled out for being Jewish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
"It's a very crowded market," said Joost van Dreunen, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business and a specialist in the economics of video games.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Montauk just wants its processes to be followed, said Steven Stern, a New York lawyer who is now representing the town.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Mark Joseph Stern and Dahlia Lithwick answer some of Amicus listeners’ burning questions.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
One night he was spotted dining with Gregory Kheifetz, the local Soviet vice-consul, whom he had met at a party at the home of the violinist Isaac Stern.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
As near as I can tell, she has not got no wheel at all, side- or stern-.
From J. Poindexter, Colored by Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
Upon closer approach the river shore was seen to be lined with scows and rowboats; a stern- wheeled river steamer lay moored abreast of the town.
From The Winds of Chance by Rex Ellingwood Beach
The men laid the fault on the stern- looking husband; the women, on the minx of a wife.
From Paul Clifford — Volume 06 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton
In a few days I presented myself to a tall, stern- visaged man, who was slowly pacing the leeward side of the quarter- deck.
From The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales With Condensed Novels, Spanish and American Legends, and Earlier Papers by Bret Harte
"Forty, I should say — very handsome — rather stern- looking — and rich."
From Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Boats have toppled pilings, and hard landings have cracked sterns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Navy said Revolutionary Guard vessels repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of several American ships at close range and high speed in the northern Gulf.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 22, 2020
With the sterns half-ashore, breakers could then cut in and dismantle the ships laterally, as a snacker might eat through a baguette.
From The Guardian ● May 2, 2017
Thousands of office workers rush past it every day without noticing its three bay windows carved as the sterns of baroque frigates, complete with waves, dolphins and trailing seaweed.
From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2015
The fog was closing over the two ships, curling over their sterns and sails.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
After the seven-time champion produced a statement performance against former top-10 player Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, Djokovic had to overcome a far sterner test on his return to Centre Court.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
With his latest, “Kontinental ’25,” Jude — who also put out a coarsely wacky version of “Dracula” last year — shifts away from clownishness and toward a sterner register of concern for society.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Much sterner tests lie ahead for Rosenior, starting with a visit from Premier League leaders Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026
But it remains to be seen whether this president and the country he leads are ready for the sterner tests to come.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
Truman also delivered a sterner warning to Stalin: The president sent a fleet of B-29 bombers to bases in England, the same type of aircraft that had dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
It was probably the sternest test the Americans have faced in the tournament.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The blockage in the Persian Gulf poses the sternest test the reserves have ever faced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
The Islamic Republic's system faces its sternest test.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
Friday's opener represents the sternest test yet for Yesavage, who will face a Dodgers batting lineup led by Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
Elizabeth looks at him over her knitting, sizing him up with narrowed eyes that remind him of his sternest teachers, though he stands much taller than she does.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
